Table of Contents, Long

It has been a long time since I have paid any attention to this blog. In that time many, many things have been going on. There are so many items I would like to touch upon that this blog is aptly named 'Table of Contents, Long'. That being said, feel free to check in for my ramblings on the following:
I. American Triple T - Ohio Race report.
II. Buffalo Marathon Race Report.
III. Keuka Lake Triathlon Race Report.
IV. Buffalo Bicycling Club Racing.
V. Endurance Monster Bike Fit/Cecilia Get a Makeover.
VI. New Training Tools.
VII. Syracuse 70.3 on the Horizon.
VIII. Lake Placid, Quickly Approaching.

I. American Triple T - Ohio Race report.
Early on May 18th, I packed up the car and picked Josh up in Hamburg for our trip down to Portsmouth, OH. I was so pleased with my buildup to Lake Placid last year, that I decided to change very little. That being said, a return trip to the American Triple T - Ohio was in order. It wasn't a very difficult decision to make as this race is hands down the best value event I have ever compete in. $300 for 4 races, hotel for two nights, and travel expenses; not bad at all! It turns out that next year will be even cheaper as I registered almost a year in advance with a discount code. Hats off to HFP Racing for putting together such an incredible event. If you’re looking for a great event for 2013, join me in Ohio: http://www.hfpracing.com/events/2012/american-triple-t
In 2011, I showed up to this race in, what I thought to be, tip-top shape. It was abruptly brought to my attention that there was a lot of work to do in the two months leading up to Lake Placid.
I decided to attack TTT slightly differently this time around. The goal was to race all 4 races as fast as possible, without walking on any of the run courses. My biggest asset was the 11-27 cassette I purchased leading up to Lake Placid last year. This cassette allowed me to repeat almost identical bike splits as 2011, without requiring a massive amount of power or any spikes. This approach allowed me to not only finish each run course, without walking, but to be competitive and race each run course (a plan I hope to mimic in Lake Placid in a few months). The highlight of the weekend, for me, was closing out the race with a 5:19 half ironman on an extremely difficult course, including a 1:46 half marathon trail run in the hills. The 1:46 was a much more pleasant way to top off the weekend than the 2:14 I ran/walked the year before. All in all, I was very pleased with my level of fitness and results from this weekend.

II. Buffalo Marathon Race Report.
A short week of recovery from TTT was combined with preparation for the Buffalo Marathon. I took a lot of heat from concerned training partners for this decision but I did it last year without issues and have yet to actually race the Buffalo Marathon. Heading into this race, I was extremely excited. I had been working a little bit with my friend Clint to get him ready for his marathon debut. My plan was to act as his Sherpa, taking care of nutrition and pacing, leaving him with nothing to think about besides running easy and staying smooth. The plan from the beginning was to walk 10-15 seconds at each water stop (every odd mile from mile 3 on) while sticking as close to 3:30 pace as possible. I have never been more impressed with an effort than I saw from Clint that day. He came into the event extremely prepared and had great results due to his preparation. I hope that he is now a subscriber to the training beliefs, “I’d rather suffer for months in training to enjoy my race, than show up unprepared and have a miserable experience.” Clint was not happy with me dragging him through some painful miles near the end but we crossed in 3:29, just under our goal. My favorite part about the race that Clint and I put together was the fact that instead of sharing a PR, Clint has me by 1 second. Excellent work Clint, but don’t get comfortable, I’m coming for you!

III. Keuka Lake Triathlon Race Report.
Early June brought on a race that I threw into the mix this year, the Keuka Lake Olympic distance triathlon. I had not competed in this race since 2009 and thought it was about time to get back and PR. This race was not an A race by any means, but I don’t show up to a race unless I’m willing to give it my best effort. I have tried to style my racing efforts after one of my running idols, Steve Prefontaine when he said “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” Looking at the race from the outside in, I knew that the swim wasn’t going to be anything special since I hadn’t been in the water much in the weeks leading up to the race. I was swimming around 12,000 yards/week in April and the beginning of May, dropping off to 5,000 yards/week leading up to Keuka. There is no excuse for this, just lack of places to swim after I stopped courses at UB for the semester.
The swim was uneventful, as I got out front and swam alone all day. This is always a tough position for me because I know I can save a lot of time over other athletes here but it is rare that I am in a wave with people to work with. Swimming alone leaves me thinking, “Ok, there could be somebody in another wave so make sure you stay strong and smooth and put in a few good efforts before you get out of the water. After the swim was where the real fun started for me. I ended up getting my first penalty exiting the water and heading up the stairs. I won’t dive any further into this penalty than to say that I completely disagree with the wetsuit violation I received and the fact that it was a bizarre penalty, unlike a drafting penalty, I am going to pretend it never happened.
My transitions felt decent, but not anything special. Turns out, there were only a few faster, thanks American TTT for a weekend full of practice (12 transitions)!
Onto the bike, I wasn’t expecting anything near a PR. The courses had a good deal of climbing and I knew I wanted to ride between 1:05 and 1:10. My 1:09 was still an underperformance but I had my mind on something else the entire way; sub 40 10k. I was on good form for the Nickel City race last September and thought I would break 40 minutes at that race however some cramping brought me to a walk for a few minutes and I ended up between 40 and 41 minutes. I told myself the week leading up to this race that this was going to be the breakthrough race for me. I got off of the bike and got to business. I knew I had some work to do to be in contention of a podium spot so I started hammering out the miles slightly over 6:00 miles. I had never been here before and I was nervous about blowing up but I just kept telling myself to run smooth and to just work on getting to the 5k turn around. I figured that if I got to the 5k while staying smooth, that I could make it back no matter how much I had to force my legs to turn over. The night before the race, I vocalized my run plans to a few friends and I knew that at this point I was extremely serious about going for broke on the run as I usually keep my plans to myself. I told my friend Charlie that once I get into the groove and start feelings really speedy on a run course, my hat will be backwards and I will fall into a different world. Shortly after the turn around, as I’m ready to drop the hammer home, I see Charlie and he makes some comment about my hat being backwards and turns his backwards as he runs by me. I remember wanting to laugh or give him some sort of response/acknowledgement but to be honest, I was far too deep in the pain cave to do anything at that point. I made it out to the turn around in a 19:20 5k and there was no doubt in my mind that I could bring it back in 20:40; the only problem at this point was convincing my legs to keep it together for another 5k. After an eternity, I made it to the finish line and a huge smile spread across my face as I read 39:05 on my watch. I had figured out a mile out that something disastrous would need to happen in order to not break 40 so I started working on breaking 39, oh well, maybe next race ;).
Overall, I was a little short of my race goal of being under 2:10 but that was sort of an empty goal, not knowing how well I would be able to perform on the bike course since it had been so long since I raced this particular course. I was very pleased with my results although it was a little bitter-sweet being removed from the podium with my 2-minute penalty. Still good enough for 5th. I’ll be back to this course at some point since I have 5 seconds of unfinished business with the run course and far more with the bike course.

IV. Buffalo Bicycling Club Racing.
At the end of last season, I decided to start racing my road bike a little bit through the Buffalo Bicycle Club. I participated in the East Aurora Road Race (formerly Toyfest) and was instantly hooked. I love the strategy and the way that the races can be so unpredictable. My bike racing in the past was limited to “A tri in the Buff, hm. It’s a flat course with a few false flats. I’ve been 1:03, lets try for 1:02”. Road racing is almost completely absent minded as far as time goes. When is the last time anybody noticed how long it took cyclists to finish a stage race. It’s all about who makes the moves, which team plays out the best strategy, and who conserves the most energy without falling off the back. The smallest decisions, such as when to shift and which wheel to hold can make or break a race at any point throughout the, typically 30 mile race.
Getting on with it, I used some spring races as training events, hoping to pick up some more speed and had some decent results. I took 1^st in Category 5 at the Corfu West race, thanks to my teammate, Jon, who handed me the win and generously rolled in at second. I showed up to Langford a little “under the weather” after a bachelor party and finished 5^th. I hope I would have been in the mix if I was in a better place. From this race, I realized that I really need to work on my cornering as I cannot hold a wheel to save my life and end up having to sprint back on every time. Maybe a criterium would be good practice, who knows.
More recently, I raced an uphill TT on my road bike. 1.5 miles at an average grade of 7% with a 0.8 mile segment averaging almost 10% grade. This race was extremely difficult but it felt good to wake my legs up and get them moving again after a lot of long, steady miles on the bike in the past couple of weeks.
I followed this race up, three days later, with a 30 mile road race. In the days between, I had back to back 50+ mile rides and carried over 200 miles on my legs into the race. I knew I was strapped for time and that the event would most likely start late. I had thoughts of dropping out in my head as I knew my legs were beat down and that I had to make it to work by 11am. I made it through a very painful 3 out of 4 laps, at points feeling great and at other points, struggling to keep contact with the rear of the peloton. As we began the last lap, I knew the competitor in me would push into places I really don’t need to go right now so I made, what I believe to be, the correct decision to drop out of the race. I have never dropped out of a race before and I have heard horrible stories about the internal struggles of making this decisions. I did not find the decision to be very difficult since I knew I had huge races looming on the horizon and that I was doing damage to my legs that was not necessarily beneficial. I’m sure it helps that I dropped out of a local bike club training race as opposed to an Ironman or high scale race. At the same time, the level of effort I put into every race I compete in makes all of the races feel equally important to me. What it comes down to is that I know my plan in the grand scheme of things and this race did not have to be part of the plan. As much as I would have liked to hang onto the peloton and see how far I could dig into the pain cave, this race was not worth it. I’m sitting a month away from Lake Placid and that’s the basket all my eggs are being placed. I find that every race is an opportunity to learn and there is no better time to learn than when a race does not go as planned.

V. Endurance Monster Bike Fit/Cecilia Get a Makeover.
 BTC sponsor Endurance Monster offers a fit discount for members that I took advantage of after Keuka, hoping to squeeze every advantage out of my bike in Placid as possible. The end result was a much more comfortable fit and a makeover for my baby, Cecilia! I will not go into great detail on the bike fit as BTC present Charlie Watson does a great job explaining the process in the April-May 2012 newsletter found here.
As far as my number one lady, Cecilia, she has been updated with a nice new set of carbon aerobars and extensions, a new rear hydration tail, a Quarq powermeter, and a new placement for my Garmin 310 XT, throwing data in my face. She feels like a brand new bike and was even treated to brand new brake and derailleur cables. Now I just need to find some time to switch the left and right brakes as they are backwards but that was an entirely different adventure.

VI. New Training Tools.
As mentioned above, I have treated myself to a brand new Quarq powermeter. I have done a lot of research and patiently anticipated the Garmin Vector pedals but enough was enough. The Quarq has been proven to be reliable and simple to set up. I trust the numbers I am getting and I feel very fortunate to be able to add this weapon to my arsenal.
On a far less expensive note, I stumbled upon a tool I wish I had found during the winter months and it would have revolutionized the way I trained. I am so impressed with this software that I found myself purchasing it and sitting on my trainer in June, while the weather was beautiful outside. For those of you who have not heard yet, do yourself a favor and check out www.trainerroad.com as I cannot speak highly enough about this piece of software. Adding TrainerRoad to your training tools effectively gives you access to power data and workout capabilities similar to a CompuTrainer, without the $1500 price tag. For $10/month, you can completely change the way that you train and find yourself in the best shape you have ever been. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me as I currently use the software and would be happy to elaborate on how it works and the capabilities.
VII. Syracuse 70.3 on the Horizon.
 The past week or so, since Keuka, I have been dealing with some Achilles issues that are really putting me on edge for Lake Placid. I am nearing the end of a 10 day stretch without running, trying to heal this bad boy and I can say that two days have gone by without any pain whatsoever. While there is no pain, I have not used my left leg much in the past 10 days and things feel very strange in there. Although I am anxious to get out and test the leg, I am going to wait until Wednesday morning to run. I figure that giving it a few extra hours or days is better in the long run than disturbing it and ending up being off my feet any longer. I still have 4 weeks to nail down my run and I knew heading into the recovery process that my run has been on point. While the speed of the 10k in Keuka may have been the straw that broke the camels back, the results speak for themselves and I was not worried about heading into 10 days off of my feet. I have used the time to get some really quality bike sessions in and bring my swim back up to where it needs to be. It is just very hard for me to go 10 days without running as I typically run 3-5 times every week whether I’m training or not. I’m sure once I get back moving again, things will fall into place and I will feel silly for worrying so much. In the meantime, it is best to let things settle down and heal.
On another note, I am very much looking forward to watching the Syracuse 70.3 race. I am allowing myself to get excited about this race to distract my mind from thinking about Placid and my lack of running the past 10 days. It will be very nice to be on the other side of this race, spectating, for the first time since its inaugural year. I have tons of friends in the first 70.3 and many others looking to PR. I am looking forward to coaching my friends from the sidelines and returning the support of the BTC, who has supported me in every race I have done since they knew my name. It should be a lot of fun to watch my friends battle it out in the 20-24 age group and even far more exciting to know that there are 100 Vegas slots up for grabs. I have a good feeling that a lot of people who have been chasing slots will be rewarded for their hard work at this race. It could never hurt to see a few more friendly face in the desert!

 VIII. Lake Placid, Quickly Approaching.
 I have spent my recovery day sitting on the computer, updating this blog. Now it is time to begin carrying out my cutdown and taper for Ironman Lake Placid. The dreams have started and are increasing with frequency, some extremely motivating, some extremely disturbing. I know that I will be ready to race July 22 although right now it feels like there is still a lot of work to do. I have very big plans for this race and it is extremely difficult to keep focused and positive when my plan isn’t going exactly as I wish it were. I know I have put in a lot more work, and smarter work, than last year. I also know that I will be prepared to go to battle in a few short weeks. Although I am nervous and starting to second guess myself, I know that I made decisions based on what I thought was best for me in the long run. I have been focused on this goal since November and have remained dedicated and consistent in my training. I am prepared, the only battle left is the one I face in my head.

Promising Start at Triple T

The 2012 season kicked off with a weekend packed full of races in Ohio. I traveled down to Portsmouth, OH early Friday morning to take another stab at The American Triple T - Ohio. I raced this event last year, as a far less experienced long distance triathlete. The event consists of a super sprint triathlon (250m swim, 4 mile bike, 1 mile run) Friday afternoon. Saturday promises to grind you down with morning AND afternoon Olympic distance triathlons (AM: 1500m swim, 25 mi bike, 6.55 mi run. PM: 25mi bike, 1500m swim, 6.55 mi run). If you make it through the first two days, you're in good shape as all you have left is an extremely challenging half Ironman triathlon (1.2 mi swim, 56 mi bike, 13.1 mi run) on Sunday. These races combine to be a touch longer than Ironman distance.
Many people consider this race tougher than an Ironman and I have to agree due to the nature of the event. Seeing that participants compete in 4 triathlons in the span of 40 hours nutrition, pacing, muscle soreness and cumulative fatigue become major issues. It's easy to get caught up in the atmosphere and  race the shorter events, leaving your body destroyed by the time Sunday rolls around, something I was lucky enough to experience in the 2011 race. Let's not forget that each unique bike course rolls through hill after hill, each feeling tougher than the last. The run is no picnic, being the same rolling 6.55 mile out and back trail run all weekend.
I competed in this race in 2011 as part of my buildup for Lake Placid Ironman. I figured that I could test my limits a little bit while also getting a solid weekend in. The race ended up being my most difficult event of 2011.
My return in 2012 was accompanied by a different racing strategy a very high level of fitness, and most importantly an 11-27 cassette to help me spin up the hills. I decided to race the first three races thinking of nothing other than the run on Sunday, hoping to redeem myself from a painful 2:12 half marathon from the previous year. I had a goal of not walking and also being competitive in the overall race results. Triple T draws a crowd of incredible athletes including age group Ironman champions and, this year, elite and professional triathletes.
I made it through Friday and Saturday, quicker than last year and feeling great. My worst race came Saturday night where I did not eat enough between Olympic triathlons and started the PM race under-fueled and hungry. I dragged myself through the race, adding ten minutes to my time from the morning, and started to worry that I might have dug too far into the reserves to have a good Sunday 70.3. I decided to forget about the race and chalk it up to poor nutrition and refueled as well as i could to bounce back Sunday.
In 2011, I came out of the gates swinging hard for the 70.3 I had a fine swim then rode through the first 28 miles of hills in 1:29, crashing on the second lap for a bike time of 3:06. My plan this year was to make it through the swim without issues, ride the first lap of the bike easy, work the second half, and repeat the strategy on the run. I got nervous when my first lap of the bike was 1:34 but I stuck to the plan, started to work the second half of the bike and ended up negative splitting the ride by about 4 minutes, leaving me fresh to run and ahead of my bike time from last year. At this point in the weekend, I had not resorted to walking on any of the run courses and I didn't plan on starting now. I rolled out the first 3.27 miles easy, working on keeping my body cool, my heart rate under 160, and getting some liquids down. I immediately fell into a good rhythm and ran my first loop of the run in 54 minutes. I felt pretty good and decided to start to go to work on the second loop of the run. Up and down the hills, I ran, keeping my heart rate under 165 and starting to work the downhill segments. I made it to the turn around, greeted by a monster climb and let it rip from the top of the course to the finish. My run was also negative split by 4 minutes, and was faster than my run in the Olympic the night before.
Throughout the entire weekend, I had been swimming and riding away from a guy, Andrew, in my rack, then I would try to hold my lead on the run. He ran me down most races, I decided that this was not going to be one of those times.  I started to really let the legs open after he told me he was coming for me on the last loop of the run. Inevitably, he caught me but it was 500 ft from the finish. I switched on my sprinter cap from my days as a 400 runner and told him I wasn't going to let him have it that easy. We had a blistering finish dropping from 6:30 miles to an all out sprint for the line, where we crossed side-by-side, laughing and congratulating each other. The joke was on me as the race was a time trial start and he started behind me but we both knew this and had fun with it. We met Friday night and joked that we would be side by side all weekend. Ironically, we started and finished side by side which was a perfect finish to the weekend.
Digesting the races, I am absolutely stoked about where I am at this point in my season. I had a hard 7 hour brick a week before Triple T, trained 6 hours the week leading up to the race, and only rested one day before the race. To be able to race hard all weekend, racing faster than I had last year at this race, and finishing strong with a 1:46 trail half marathon leaves me feeling great about what is to come.
Next up is the Buffalo Marathon on Sunday, then Keuka Lake Triathlon the following weekend. The plan is not to get too caught up in these races as they are nothing more than training events for greater things to come. I look forward to working with Clint on his first marathon and watching Billy Boy crank out his first marathon outside of Ironman (crazy Bill).
Until then, I will rest up and get some easy miles in on the bike.

Become comfortable being uncomfortable.

Choose Your Focus

Entering this season, I thought I had things figured out. For the first time in my triathlon career, I had a clear, focused, plan set in place. I scheduled training around projected A races, B races and events I would like to train through. I began implementing this plan and things were going great. I was gaining my fitness back more quickly than I ever anticipated and my running was starting to reach a level it had never been before. The winter months flew by and I found myself starting to test my fitness in February with hard workouts. Unfortunately, February was also the month that my body decided it needed a break. The hours of long miles were catching up to me and I found it very difficult to focus on my workouts. I was starting to dread the cycle I had been following since November. My body was recovering slowly and I was much sorer than I should have been. It didn’t help that my mental state was an absolute mess. I was missing hanging out with friends and hated waiting all week for the weekend to come around.

I decided to turn the block into a get back to basics block. I trained when I wanted to and didn’t stress about volume or getting certain workouts in.  After all, it was only February, training had been going well, and I knew I didn’t have any serious races until July. I made it through the block without the normal stresses that accompany hard training blocks. I kept a few key workouts in my schedule and spent a lot of time seeing friends and getting my head straight. It really helped me to take some of the weight off of my shoulders and prepare myself for another long push to May. This block also helped me refocus my goals for training as well as life. My major realization from the break was the following: You can train endlessly and earn great results but it means nothing if you don’t have anybody to share the experiences with. Keeping this in mind, I will try my best to keep my friends closer and work on developing stronger relationships with the people that are close to me as well as new people I meet along my journey. I know what I want in life and I know that as long as I can control it, I will pursue it with everything I have to offer. 

Using Resources

Training is in full swing and I find myself becoming a creature of habit. During the long winter months, it can be hard to find exciting workouts when you are limited to pool swims, trainer rides, slippery outdoor rides, slow snow runs and weight training. No races are in sight and the goal of training now is to create a stable base to support the efforts I will demand from my body later in the season. During this drudgery, I do my best to remain positive. I’m into block three injury free, training well and I have a good feeling about the direction I’m heading. Yet, it feels as though the structure of each week remains rather unremarkable.

Due to recent events in my life, I am reminded that change is necessary and often out of my control. There are situations I have encountered that I cannot change and am left with no other choice but to adapt. While change can be uncomfortable and take some time to get used to, it is a necessity in order to become a stronger, wiser person. A parallel ideology exists in what I am most familiar with, triathlon training. If we become complacent, we limit our potential to grow as an athlete. In life, if we refuse to take chances, we fail to gain experiences that help us grow.

These changes can often be overwhelming when dealt with on an individual level. It is times like these that my support structures become invaluable to me. In my training, I have a seasonal plan to rely on. I wish to keep things fresh while gaining fitness and I decided to explore new, winter activities. Instead of slogging through miles on the road, I’ll throw on the snowshoes and hit the XC course. This past weekend, I found out that XC skiing is a lot more enjoyable on groomed trails. Once I develop my technique, there is potential to focus on a different sport which complements my long term goals. I am also very interested in learning more about speedskating and have plans to check out the Buffalo Speedskating Club.

In life, my friends and family are my support structures. I am very much an over-thinker and it helps me to share my thoughts with people close to me in order to figure out where I am and where I’d like to go. I have often felt like my incessant inquiries to these people can become a bit of a burden but then I stop and look at the big picture. The people that are closest to me know me for who I am. They have remained by my side through thick and thin and I like to think I have done the same for them. People go through dark lows in their lives, but is with the help of true friends that we turn those times into opportunities to develop and reach highs we never thought were possible.

While times and decisions may not always be easy, it is the difficult times that help us identify the people who are worth having by our side. The tough stretches will yield to much better stretches but in the meantime, it is important to reconnect with the people that really mean something. In whatever respect you wish to apply these ideas, find out what is important, use it to define yourself and hold onto it.

-Live outside your comfort zone.

Back to it.

Off-season has come and gone and I’m really looking forward to getting back into the swing of training. I was pretty active and kept a good amount of fitness over the off season so I’m excited about how I feel starting to train. For me, off-season was a chance to get my mind right. Last season I had about twice as many races than any other season I have been through before. On top of that, I was training much harder than I ever had and racing much longer events than I was used to. I don’t think it was a mistake physically to race that much last season however I will not be racing as much this season. Mentally, I felt great for 95% of last season until the very end. I raced nearly every weekend in August and threw some real long runs into September and October. By the time those races were rolling around, I was mentally exhausted and merely going through the motions. I was still happy with the results as I had never had that much fitness and my tapers went well but I knew it was time for a break from the stress I undergo during racing. The off-season was a great time for me to relax, exercise for enjoyment, and generally take life a little less seriously. I welcomed the 10-15 pounds that came with that mentality and it amazed me that simply thinking about starting to train again and eating better, my body began to shed weight. I was really happy to catch up on the time I had missed out on with my friends and loved having the opportunity to meet some new people but it is time to get back to business.

I am entering this new season with far more preparation as far as my season plan. I have my training blocks all set with goals and guidelines for each, something I have never tried before. More importantly, I feel like I have a whole new set of training partners that will help motivate me to continue working out throughout our cold winter. If all goes to plan, I hope to hit the spring in the best shape of my life, ready to chase the goals I have set for next season. I feel mentally recharged and look forward to continuing on with my preparation block.

Nickel City to close out the tri season.

Nickel City turned out to be a pretty cool race. The course was extremely flat and fast. Out of all my races this year, I did learn the most about myself in Buffalo Saturday morning. Looking forward to the race, I was expecting a spectacle of a race due to the fuss made about it. I expected large numbers of participants and a super fast field to race against.
When I showed up Saturday morning, I was shocked to see a tiny transition zone and few people racing the AG Olympic race. There were so few elites registered for the sprint that the race was cancelled and many of them jumped into our race. My run had been clicking the past few weeks so I was looking for a PR however I knew some of these guys would be moving on the run.
My second shock of the day came during the swim. I had been swimming well all year and couldn't believe how fast people were taking out the 1500m swim. I was getting dropped by the first buoy. I chalked it up to people getting too excited and thought they would come back to me on the second lap as long as I stayed long and conserved some energy for a fast finish. It was only later that I realized the caliber of the swimmers that had smoked me in the water, including a 200m fly Olympic trials qualifier.
I got out on the bike and decided it was time to track some people down. I could see on the out and backs that I was putting time on most of the guys ahead of me besides the two leaders. This was the first time, probably ever, that my swim was not my strongest discipline of the day. There were only three guys who rode faster as compared to the seven guys that swam faster. Either way, I was in a good position and off and running.
I quickly moved into 4th overall during the first two miles dropping a 6:00 mile followed by a 6:20. It was at this point that things started going sour. I had the worst cramping in my life for all of mile three. No matter how much I tried to slow the pace and keep contact with Jeff Henderson, I couldn't catch my breath and resorted to walking for 10 seconds to get a few deep breaths in. Almost exactly a mile later, I was feeling much better but I was unable to make 6:20 pace feel comfortable again. I ran the rest trying to stay as far under 7 minute miles as I could. Ended up cruising it in for my fastest 10k in years and 3 minutes off of my best inside of an Olympic tri.
The real experience came later in the day. I drove directly to Geneseo from the race, not even getting a chance to stick around for awards. I swam in the alumni meet and far exceeded my expectations, dropping a 1:55.2 to win the 200 free and 58.2 in the 100 fly. This is setting me up perfectly to head into a long winter of swimming with a fresh mind about getting back in the pool.
After the meet is where I had my biggest realization. I had the time of my life seeing old friends and running around the town recklessly. I had spent the summer training diligently and forgot how much fun I have when I make sure I have time for the people who support me most in my life. People I hadn't had contact with in months had been keeping tabs on my racing and made me feel great for sticking to my plan and taking major steps toward my goals. Most of all, they welcomed me back to the good life after months of neglect while I was focusing my energy elsewhere.
I am heading into this off season knowing that it is time to bring the efforts down. All Saturday morning I was racing fast but the freshness I had been racing with all summer was gone. It took too much mental preparation to get up for the race and I need to change direction for a little bit so I can come back next season ready to make some serious moves. I am treating myself to lazy couch days, days without training and no regretful feelings about it, awesome muddy trail runs, and riding only to enjoy the changing of the leaves and good company. I cannot wait to spend some late nights with good friends and pack on a few pounds from good food and indulgences.
Thanks, triathlon, for being so great to me this season and a bigger thank you to the friends and family who have made it possible. I'm ready to off-season like it's never been done before.

Syracuse 70.3 Race Report. VEGAS BABY!

Immediately following Lake Placid I was hungry for more. I had outperformed my expectations by far and saw myself as a new type of athlete, vying for World Championship slots. I decided to take advantage of my Placid fitness and do some serious racing late into the season. I raced weekend after weekend and continued to have great results while having an absolute blast. By the time September rolled around, I was starting to wear down a little bit. I still had huge expectations for Syracuse 70.3 midway through September but I had no desire to follow any serious training regiments, so I didn’t. I trained when I wanted to, made up for lost time with friends, stayed up late, ate a few unhealthy meals and enjoyed life for a while. It came time to start mentally preparing for Syracuse and my mental state was nowhere near where it needed to be. I tried desperately to get into the zone for the week leading up to the race but I had a relaxed demeanor all the way up to the race. I knew I would go through with the race but I had no idea if I was prepared to battle for 5 hours on end.

            I packed the truck up and drove out to Syracuse Saturday afternoon with Chris. We chatted on the way over and I had a few realizations. I had trained hard all year, I was in the best shape of my life, and Ironman 70.3 World Championships was becoming a serious possibility. Unsure of whether or not my mind would support my quest, I was finally ready to tackle this beast.

            We settled in and rode the run course Saturday afternoon then went for a quick swim at Jamesville Beach before we went over to Mae’s for dinner. All Friday and Saturday, club members and other friends started sending words of encouragement, reminding me what I was here to do, “Rip up the course“. I had said I was going to do it months ago and people believed I could do it; good enough for me. We drove the bike course and started to make decisions as to where we wanted to go fast and where we would relax a little bit.

            The opening 12 miles of the bike course are the reason the bike course is challenging. The entire distance is essentially one big climb. I knew I was going to be able to move on the flat and rolling roads that came after mile 20 so my plan was to spin up the first 12 miles without killing myself, yet with a purpose. If someone was going to chase me down on the bike course, it wouldn’t be in the first 12 miles. We settled our plans, packed up, and got to sleep around 10 with an alarm set for 4 am., a relatively good night of sleep considering my prerace habits.

            The morning started exactly as everybody feared, 42 degrees on the drive over to the state park. Chris and I set up our transition, I had my bike checked out and a cable replaced, then we got back in the car and sat with the heat on for 20 minutes, trying to get feeling back into our feet. There was no way to trick yourself for this race, it was going to be a cold morning. I threw a jacket into T1 just in case I was freezing getting out of the water.

            Luckily, males 18-24 and 50+ were wave 4. I remember being somewhere around wave 13 last year, starting about 45 minutes after the race started. I took a look at the lake and made a decision. Everybody I had to beat was starting with me and I wasn’t going to let anybody touch me on the swim. I had been swimming great all summer and this race was not going to be any exception. Right off the start, a group of about 4 guys swam a quick 500 meters before things started to break up. By the first turn, I found myself alone with one other young guy, presumably an 18-24 AGer. I hung with him until the turn and told myself I would drop him on the way back to the beach. He proved to be much more difficult to drop than I had planned and it wasn’t until he turned at the wrong buoy and began swimming up the middle of the course that I saw my break. He was inevitably going to be chased down by the kayakers and I was ready to take off. I swam hard all the way back into the beach and got out of the water with nobody else in sight. The time wasn’t anywhere near where I wanted it to be but I was set up for a great day already.

            Getting out on the bike took a little bit longer than I expected since I decided to forego the jacket and pull on arm warmers. The arm warmers ended up being the perfect decision despite costing a little bit of time in T1. I executed my race plan, got out of the park fast and began ascending the tough 12 mile section. I didn’t see a single person the entire climb which was a good thing although it clued me in that I was in for a lonely day. By mile 30 I had yet to see another athlete until Karma decided to take its toll. Coming to an intersection I was unclear where to go. The police officer at the intersection was clearly pointing left so against my gut feeling, I went left. Very quickly, the roads became unfamiliar and I turned around to head back to the intersection. I had gone off course by about 0.3 miles, costing me a good 1-2 minutes. As I approached the intersection, the swimmer that went off course took the lead. I was upset but I knew it had at the very least leveled the playing field between the two of us.

            I got back on course and caught him then he dropped his chain and I got a little lead on him. He passed me about 5 miles later and I never saw him again the whole race. I spent the rest of the bike course trying to make up for lost time. I had calculated that I was going to be very close to 2:38 as a split unless I started moving. There was a 5 mile section where I averaged 25.5 and was able to get off the bike just under 2:37.

            Heading out of transition, I saw a man from Buffalo who set the tone for the entire run. He saw my BTC jersey and as I passed him, he said “Way to make Buffalo proud, go run down the pros!” I had an immediate confidence boost and while I knew I could run 1:50 and still break 5 hours, I wanted to lay the hammer down. Clicked off the first mile in 6:18 which I decided was a little fast so I backed off to 7 minute miles and rocked through 6.55 miles at 6:50 pace. I couldn’t believe what was happening as I am traditionally a very average runner. I thought my Garmin was getting a poor satellite reception or that something was out of whack.

            I finished the race, very satisfied with a 1:33 half marathon, 2 minutes off of my PR and a 70.3 PR of 7 minutes. People had been telling me I was the first AGer to come through but I knew there was at least someone ahead of me who I did not believe was a pro. I quickly learned that it was indeed someone from my AG ahead of me and I counted my Vegas slot out. I relaxed, grabbed some food, and got a massage. When I checked back at the results, I saw the posting of Vegas slots per AG. Miraculously, I saw that males 18-24 had been granted 2 slots since we had 31 athletes start. I immediately ran to Valvo, Mae and Chris and celebrated! I was super pumped! I had entertained the idea of earning a spot but never thought it would actually happen. I got my slot and registered for the race. Time to spend a lot of hours suffering in the hills to get ready.

            This, by far, has to be my greatest accomplishment in my triathlon career even though it was somewhat of a fluke. It was nice to beat one of the guys that snuck ahead of me in Placid but none of my experience would have been remotely possible without the support from the BTC. I had just about counted Syracuse out of the equation and it ended up being my ticket in.